Postgame Thoughts: South Carolina 42, Oklahoma 25
The South Carolina Gamecocks battered the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday in a blowout that wasn’t as close as the 17-point margin would suggest.
In their second consecutive loss in front of a home crowd, the Sooners looked more lost than ever on offense. Of the 359 total yards OU gained in the game, 292 were compiled after South Carolina had run its lead up to 35-10 late in the third quarter. It was empty calories in football.
Let’s get these observations out of the way. They are based on a live viewing of the broadcast.
*This felt like the lowest point for the OU program since the last time South Carolina came to Norman.
*I mentioned in an article last week that I suspected explosive plays would define this matchup. It’s kind of an obvious point about any game, but both of these offenses have needed big plays to survive. The Gamecocks put up gains of 30, 38, 84, and 79 yards on Saturday.
To be fair, though, South Carolina didn’t exactly need those big plays to win. The Gamecocks got everything they wanted when they wanted it on offense.
*Offenses can take those kinds of big swings when they don’t have to worry about the other team scoring – or even threatening to sore.
OU failed to move the ball with any kind of consistency when the outcome was in doubt. The root cause of that probably came down to quarterback John Mateer, who showed no confidence in his ability to read what South Carolina’s defense was showing him. When he did lock and load on shot plays, it looked like his plan was to throw the ball as far as he could in the general direction of a receiver and hope for the best.
*The offensive line also had a dreadful day. A penalty is a death knell on any drive for the OU offense, and the OL racked up a bunch. This might have been the most disappointing aspect of the entire putrid performance by this squad.
*I’m more optimistic about Brent Venables as a head coach than most, but this was the kind of game that challenges that faith.